An Unbreakable Bond
by Yee Mun
Summary: TwoShot angst to fluff Derek and Casey have been together for sometime and they've been able to keep it a secret, too. So it's only natural that somebody's bound to find out. But how will George and Nora take it, along with the knowledge of Derek cutting
1. The Bond

Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek sadly enough, but then again if I did, Derek/Casey would be canon!

Summary: Derek and Casey have been together for sometime. They've been able to keep it a secret for sometime too. So it's only natural the soon, someone's bound to find out. But how will George and Nora take it, along with the knowledge of Derek cutting himself?

A/N: So this is came out of my Life With Derek obsession that lasted a few months... I don't really watch the show all that often anymore, though. (I aught to really catch up...) THIS IS AN EDITED REPOST

* * *

**An Unbreakable Bond**

The house is quiet. Lizzy and Ed are out at the school dance and Marti is staying the night at her friend's house. It's only Mom, George, Derek, and myself home tonight.

I start to bite my lip, a bad habit of mine, while my hand grips my pen. I've been in the mood to write for weeks now, but writer's block has taken control. _I hate it when this happens!_ I sigh in frustration and throw the pen down on my desk. After flopping down on my bed, I roll over to reach for the phone. _Maybe Emily's home, we could go out to the mall and shop until we're too tired to stand,_ I smile at the idea.

I'm just about to dial out her number when I hear George yelling from the kitchen._ So much for the peace and quiet,_ I think to myself. I drop the phone onto my bed and walk to my door. It was open a crack and that's why I could hear so well. I nudge it open with my foot so I can catch everything.

"I don't get it, Derek. Why are you doing this?" It's just Derek being Derek again, nothing different from every other day, I sigh and roll my eyes. But when I hear his response, I stand rooted to the ground.

"I'm sorry Dad." Is that Derek crying? Why is his crying? I've only ever heard or seen him cry once in my whole two years living under this roof. It had been when... my heart stops.

I run down the stairs and into the kitchen where Derek and our parents are standing. He's at the sink and Mom hovers over him, trying to stop the bleeding from his arm. George just paces back and forth shaking his head.

"Mom, let me do it." I say, making my presence known. I move over to the sink and hold Derek's arm in my hand. When our eyes met, I could see the look of pure sorrow in his eyes.

I don't say anything, can't I am in too much shock. I make sure to keep our eyes locked while I wash his arm, however. I want him to know just how I felt. I turn off the faucet and dry his arms, never letting his eyes leave mine. He grimaces when the rough paper towel makes contact with his cut. I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. I apply some cream directly to the cut and then bandage it, this time having to break eye contact with him to make sure the bandages are tight enough. When I'm done I looked up at him again.

"You promised." Is all I can say. I can't seem to find any other words.

"I'm sorry." And I know that he too is at a loss for words. With those words, Derek collapses against me and I fight to hold him up. Wet tears fall on my shoulder as I hear his sobs.

"Sh, don't cry. It's okay." I say trying to sooth him. The world falls away, neither of us remembers that our parents are in the room. All that's there is us.

"I'm so sorry Case. I'm so sorry." I can hear his muffled sobs as he buries his face in my hair.

"It'll be okay, I promise." I say I'm willing to say just about anything to make him stop crying. I hate it when Derek cries. He's so strong and just knowing that he's too strong to let his emotions get to him is my constant. Watching him cry tears my whole world apart.

Faintly I hear a voice coming from somewhere behind me. It sounds like George.

"Nora, what's going on?" Is what I think he's saying, but again, I can't really focus on anything, but Derek right now. He's all that matters.

"I don't know." I can here my mother's response, just as faint as George's voice. I can hear the confusion in their voices. If only they knew.

"Derek, we have to tell them." I say, not registering that the 'they' that I speak of are the faint voices that I had just been hearing. Without really registering it, I lead Derek and myself into the living room. I sit and pull him down with me. We sit entangled in each other's limbs in an awkward, yet comfortable position.

"We can't Case. We just can't. They'll be mad." Derek pulls away from me so fast that we're booth put off balance and we almost collide into each other. I can see the fear in his eyes, he looks something like a deer caught in headlights. Funny that that's how I feel right now.

"We don't know that until we try." I say trying to calm myself as well as Derek.

"I don't want to tell them, but I do! I can't keep a secret from them like this, but I'm afraid of what they'll say." Derek says trying to get my to understand. What he doesn't know is that he doesn't need to explain all of this to me, I know just how he feels.

"I'm scared, too. That's why we need to do this together." I say and pull Derek closer into me.

"I'm not scared." I hear him say and see the scowl on his face. Despite the current situation, I bite back the urge to laugh. With a small smile, I turn his head to be at level with mine.

"Good, then we should tell them now." I say and see and hear him gulp. "It's okay, I'm here, too. You wont need to do this alone."

Just then I hear a throat being cleared from the archway leading into the kitchen. We both jump. Suddenly the outside world is coming back into focus. I remember just where we are and what we're about to do. With a big sigh I turn to face my mother, who has a pointed look, and George who looks utterly confused.

"Mom, George, we want to talk to you." I say mustering up the courage that I need to get us through this. Without a word, Mom sits down next to me on the couch, and George sits in 'Derek's' armchair, next to Derek.

"So, what is it you want to tell us." I can see it in my mother's eyes that she already knows.

The silence in the room is thick. I think knowing that my Mom knows is worse than having to tell her and having it be new knowledge.

"How long have you known?" I choke out. Derek looks surprised and afraid, George looks even more confused.

"For about fifteen minutes now." My Mom says. She has a hint of a smile on her face. I can't quiet tell if it's sad or not. Without warning, she pulls me into a hug. "Why didn't you tell us? Did you you think we would get mad?" I don't know the answer and before I can think of one, I start to cry. At first I have no idea where the tears are coming from, but then I realize just how much weight has been lifted off my chest.

"We were afraid that you would think we were disgusting and throw us out, or force us to never be together again. We were afraid-" But the rest of my words and thoughts were drowned out by my tears. I hear George gasp in realization.

"Is that why you've been-" I don't need to turn around to know that George is gesturing to Derek's arm. I also don't need to turn around to know that he nodded yes.

And then it's as if time has stopped. I realize what we've, or rather I've done by telling them. Derek and I will never be able to be left alone again. No more quiet nights of innocently cuddling on the couch and watching movies. Equally, no more not so innocent nights of candle lit passion in one of our bedrooms. It all starts to dawn on me. And just knowing all of this makes me cry harder.

"Sh, Casey, it's okay. I think I know why you're crying, and it's okay. George and I wont force you to stay apart. You're both going to college in three months, so we both know that you're old enough to make you're own decisions, that and in a few months you'll both be going to stay on campus together." Mom says and soothes away my fears.

"Just no more sex." George says, quite bluntly. The oddity and directness of the statement strikes me as funny and then next thing I know, I'm laughing so hard that I'm not making a sound and the tears pouring from my eyes are from joy.

"George," I say through my laughter, "I'm a virgin."

"What?" I hear my step-father ask in bewilderment. I can almost see the questioning look that he is giving his son. I could almost hear him questioning, "My son? His girlfriend lives with him and he's been alone with her, but she's still a virgin?"

"Yeah, we are. We were waiting until after school and all. I know that if we did do anything we would be careful, but still, I know that if we did do anything, Case and I would be so worried anyways that it would affect other aspects of our lives." Derek said in an effort to get my point across while I'm still trying to get control of my laughter.

"It's true." I say, finally. "We don't want to deal with the responsibility, if something were to happen, so we're going to wait." I took the chance to pull Derek into a tight hug. His next words caught me by surprise (in a good way) and was obviously meant to be more intimate and directly for me and me alone.

"Casey, I love you so much, I will always be here for you and I don't want anything to happen to you, I'll wait forever, if it will keep you happy and safe." And with that, he leaned in and we kissed. Just once simple kiss that still managed to hold passion and love.

When we break apart, I know that we've gotten our point across to our parents, (well, George, my Mom catches on pretty quickly) and even though we didn't need to prove to them that we're going to be okay, the two of us, I'm sure if we had needed to, we could have.

"Case, I know that you two will be just fine as I'm sure you two have been. I know George and I both support you and you both can come to us, you never need to be afraid." I move myself out of Derek's arms to give my mom a bone crushing hug.

"Thanks Mom." I really do have the world's greatest Mom.

"So then, are you okay, Derek?" George says, looking at his son's wrist.

"Yeah, I think I am." I hear him whisper. I can hear in his voice however, that it will take time to heal. And with that I'm okay, because now, it won't be just me helping me. We have a great family that we now know will help us get through everything.

"Come on." I say, standing suddenly, holding out my hand to Derek. "Let's go for a walk." We share a small smile and turn to face our parents again.

"Thanks Mom."

"Thanks Dad."

We say in unison as we pull our own respective parent into a hug. We then awkwardly thank each other's biological parent. With smiles and warmth in our hearts, Derek and leave the house through the front door, holding hands, for the first time.

* * *

The summer's warm wind wraps itself around us. We haven't spoke since we left, just holding hands and enjoying the silence. It's been a while since we've felt so comfortable about ourselves, about us.

"Thank you, Case." I hear his voice, it's just above a whisper. The wind is what pulls the sound to my ears. I stop us from walking, turning to him.

"You don't need to thank me. You've supported me for so long, I want to be there for you just as much." I smile up at him and pull him into a hug. I feel his body stiff when I bump his wrist. "Sorry." I say, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Don't be." We stand like that for what seems like hours. We're in a less populated part of town, under a street light. Since when did we become such a cliché couple?

* * *

I must be close to midnight. We were out for ages, just holding each other, letting the grief we've held inside of us go. Fresh tears splatter my cheek and I know that, even though he will deny it, Derek's been crying, too.

It's like a chapter of our life has ended, and a new one has just begun. He walks me to the door of my room.

"Goodnight, Case." He whispers in my ear. I look up into his eyes and we kiss, a soft and loving kiss. Don't get me wrong, I still love him more than I can say, but right now, I don't need him like _that_. Right now, the light kisses are enough to heal my open wounds.

"Night Derek." I whisper back. I don't remember the last time we just stood in the hallway like this, so relaxed, not afraid of being caught.

With one more kiss, I turn into my room, shutting the door soundly. This time, I'm not afraid that by shutting the door, I'm symbolically shutting the door to the possibility of our relationship. I really do think too in depth.

* * *

The sun is shining down on me from my window. It's the start of a new day and the beginning of our new lives. I turn to my right and find a card on my pillow. My smile brightens, I would recognize that hand writing anywhere.

_Dear Casey,_

_I'm sure you're asleep by now, it's about 3 a.m., don't even ask me why I'm up. I can't sleep, I'm too happy to just close my eyes and shut down. I can't believe we came out to our parents, I never could have done it without you. You can be sure to hear a song, just for you, in the near future. Well I might as well try to sleep. I love you, I hope you know that, after all the times I've said it, though, I'd be scared if you didn't. Thank you, Case, I really owe so much to you._

_Until the morning,_

_Derek_

My smile widens, I don't think things in my life could get any better. After everything we've been through, we're still together. We still love each other. It's our unbreakable bond.

TBC

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A/N: So yeah, I don't know if you can see the shift in writing, I wrote this a while ago, to see if I could wrote LWD. I stopped writing it multiple times due to writer's block, so it took me forever to finish. So what do you all think? Can I write LWD or should I just stop while I'm ahead? One more chapter to go, I just need to write the song! Well at any rate, review please! Shaelyn


	2. Forever

Disclaimer: I own both of the songs and the plot, but LWD is not mine. You think if it was, it would only be in the form of a fanfiction? Hell no! It would be cannon! (Starts into a dreamy state where Casey and Derek are really together...)

Summary: Derek and Casey have been together for sometime. They've been able to keep it a secret for sometime too. So it's only natural the soon, someone's bound to find out. But how will George and Nora take it, along with the knowledge of Derek cutting himself?

A/N: And the long awaited second chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long to come out, but I was having some trouble with writing, but it's all better now! So, enjoy: THIS IS AN EDITED REPOST

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Chapter Two: Forever

It's been a year since Derek and I came out to our parents. Things for us have gotten much better, we still haven't told our friends, but we're planning to, soon.

Derek's stopped cutting, once and for all. The pressure of living a double life, although not completely gone, has lessened . I knew the stress had been eating at him, it had been hard on me too. Paul has agreed to counsel both of us, it's been helping Derek to talk to someone about all the built up stress. I know, at least for me, the opinion of someone not directly related to the reason of stress helps clear the mind.

Along with out parents and Paul, we've also told our siblings. I can still remember the reactions of Liz and Ed. I guess I really shouldn't have been so surprised at their reactions, but I was all the same. Derek and I had both felt that we should, together, talk to the middle children at the same time. It retrospect, it was pretty funny, though I wouldn't have thought so at the time.

* * *

FLASHBACK

I call Liz and Ed down to the living room. Derek's already sitting in _his_ chair, I can see the fear in his eyes. Without saying anything, I gently rub his shoulder. He looks up to me and smiles. I smile back down to him. It's going to be okay, I know it will but fear is still getting to me. Our moment is ruined when we hear our siblings running down the stairs from the attic at top speed. Quickly we pull apart. Derek stays seated and I stand to his left. Liz and Ed jump on the couch, oblivious to the tension in the room (or they're really good at hiding their curiosity.)

"So what did you want to talk about?" Liz asks Derek and I when the two are settled. She's straight to the point as Liz always is. I feel pride peeking in. She gets that from me. But back to the point, the way they're looking at us, with all knowing smiles, I start to panic inside, pride forgotten. Can they already know?

"Derek and I wanted to tell you-" Because right now is really the best time to completely blank out and lose my confidence. I feel him tense. _Wait, when did my hand find it's way back to his shoulder?_

"- that you guys are an item?" Ed smirks a smirk that would make Derek proud, if he wasn't so stunned that he couldn't speak.

"Why are you so surprised? You couldn't be anymore obvious." Liz says looking very proud of herself.

"But- What-?" Oh great, very articulate Case.

"Here." Ed says handing the speechless Derek a binder labeled "Casey and Derek".

Together, Derek and I flip through the binder, both our eyes bulging out of their sockets. The binder is filled with charts and guesses about Derek and I and when and if we'd become "an item". In the back of the binder, there's even a list of every nice thing Derek and I have ever done for each other. Looking through the binder slowly creeps us out until we practically throw it onto the ground.

"So, have you told anyone else?" Liz asks me looking rather hopeful.

"Just Mom and George. We haven't even told Marti yet." I say my voice only above a whisper, I'm still too disturbed by the binder to say much of anything else.

"Ha! Pay up Edwin!" My sister yells while jumping up and down. This gets the attention of both Derek and I.

"This is so not fair!" Ed complains as he pulls a fifty out of his pocket.

"You bet on us?" I yell at my sister who looks nothing short of ecstatic.

"You bet fifty? Are you an idiot, Ed?" Derek yells at the same time. It figures he has nothing to say until it comes to Ed and money.

"Well no, we bet that you would either tell us before or after you tell your friends. We bet five dollars." Liz said still looking very proud of herself.

"The price would go up buy five dollars every month. We both thought that the largest sum would only be in the twenties." Ed said looking defeated.

"Liz, I'm ashamed of you!" I yell, I can't believe she would do something like that!

"I'm sorry Case." She says with her head down. I almost feel bad for yelling at her. _Almost_.

"You should be." I say turning to leave the room.

"I'm ashamed of you too, Ed. Fifty dollars?" I here Derek reprimand Ed as I storm off.

END FLASHBACK

* * *

Liz and I quickly made up after. It took me a few hours to blow off steam. I took it out on Derek for a bit while I was at it. In the end, almost a year later, we can all laugh at ourselves. Even me. I guess being with Derek has taught me to relax. (A bit.)

Telling Marti wasn't nearly as interesting or memorable which is kind of weird, considering it's Marti. It took us a long time to convince her that we weren't getting married, though. That was slightly entertaining if anything. She got Derek to promise her that she could be the flower girl, however. If and when we do get married, something tells me that if she's still young enough, she'll hold us to our word.

So our junior year ended without a hitch. We spent the summer at my aunt's beach house. It was probably the best summer of my life. Derek and I got to be together and we didn't have to be afraid of other people finding out. We're both lucky that none of our friends were staying at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina USA.

Our senior year's been great. With all of the people supporting us, we've been doing well. Derek's been getting his grades up, something undoubtedly influenced by me. Much to our surprise, our friends still haven't noticed, or at least they don't let on that they have. Derek still makes fun of me in school, I still pretend to get mad. That's why, when we come out to the school, I don't think anyone will see it coming.

The plan is, during the school talent show tonight, D-Rock is going to play and Derek is going to dedicate the song to me without actually telling them who "the love of his life" is. When he's done with the song, Derek is going to call me up on stage and we're going to sing a duet together. The only tricky thing is, the band doesn't know that the second song is a duet. I can only hope that they can adapt the song to my key.

Preparing for the show has been tricky. Every time the band practiced at our home, I would have to find a reason to be in the kitchen or I would have to hide at the top of the stairs so I could hear the duet. When they played the dedication song, however, I tried not be around. I want it to be surprised. I'm just hoping that everything works out fine.

* * *

Well, we're waiting in the school auditorium for the show to start. We got here an hour early, like we were supposed to, so we could set up. When Ralph and Sam came by to pick up Derek to go to the school, I got _dragged_ along. Derek told them I was their pack mule for the night. They didn't see that he gave me the lightest bags, taking the heavier ones for himself.

Right now, I'm snaking my way around the props behind stage, the boys are on right now doing a mic check and I want to be close enough to practice without them hearing. As they start to strike up the chorus for the second song it hits me. We wont be able to pull this off! What were we thinking? What if they form a mob and try to burn us at the stake like the American Witch Trials? I am so not ready to lose all of my friends! Oh god, where's Derek when you need him?

I swear Derek can read minds because D-Rock is done with their set and he's making his way carefully to me. It's dark and we both know that, at least for a few minutes, we'll be safe together. He's next to me by now and he's moving his arms around my waist. It feels so nice in his arms. I can feel the muscle from playing hockey for years in his arms holding me in a firm hug.

"Don't worry, Case. It's going to be fine. Better than fine." He whispers in my ear.

"You promise?" I ask. I can feel the tears pushing at the back of my eyes. I don't think right now would be a good time to cry.

"I promise." He answers, leaning down into me and giving me a tender kiss. We stay in each other's arms and continue the kiss, making it deeper and more passionate.

"Hey lovebirds." The interruption startles us and shatters the moment. We jump apart and stand awkwardly next to each other. Panic starts to settle in my stomach.

"I can explain." I start.

"It's not what it looks like." Derek says at the same time.

"Calm down, it's just me." Sam says, stepping out of the shadows and smiling. "I always thought you two were an item."

The panic gnawing at my insides works faster. How could he have known? Do other people know? I really want to yell, but Derek put his arm on my shoulder, no doubt he knew what was running through my head.

"What do you mean by 'I always thought you two were an item.'?" His voice sounds dangerous. If I didn't know Derek as well as I do, I might have even been scared.

"Chill. I don't think anyone else knows. I only know because I know Derek better than most. Those two songs that we're performing, I could tell they were for _someone_. Derek is always passionate about his music, but there was something about the way that he sings these two songs. It's as if his heart is on his sleeve. Don't worry, I highly doubt Ralph picked up on it." Sam says extremely passive, not even seeming to notice the tone of Derek's voice. We both relax hearing Sam's response. Of course Sam would eventually figure it out.

"When did you find out?" I ask in a whisper. I don't really trust my voice, I think I'll either yell or cry.

"Well, I always guessed, but I didn't know for sure until just now." Sam says offering me a comforting smile.

"Well now that Sam knows," Derek said, easing into the moment with his normal "Derek Venturi" persona, "we can fix the key of the second song. It's supposed to be a duet."

"Okay, let me just get my guitar." Sam says and starts to walk away.

"Wait." I say and I see him turn around and look at me. "How do you think other people will react?"

"The people who know you two? They're probably going to be thinking that it's about time." Sam said smiling. "Who cares what other people think, we're all going to be leaving this place in a few short weeks anyways.

"Are we that obvious?" Derek asks the anger from before starting to rise again in his voice.

"No, but you guys fight so much, people just think that you're in a love-hate relationship."

"But we're not!" This time I'm the one who getting mad. I realize who I'm talking to though and add a quick, "Sorry."

"It's okay, I'm sure it's really stressful for you two, I know I've seen cutting scars on Derek's wrists." Before Derek can yell at him, he cuts him off. "Now before you yell yourselves hoarse, let's practice for the show. It is tonight you know."

So Sam, Derek, and I go to look for an empty classroom to practice for the last half hour before the show.

* * *

"Hey Emily!" I call to my best friend as she walks into the crowded auditorium.

"Hey!" She yells back, catching sight of me and running to give me a hug. "I called your house to ask if you needed a ride, but they said you were already here."

"Yeah. Derek made me follow him and the band so I could be their pack mule." I say and roll my eyes for extra effect.

"I don't see why you let him walk all over you." Emily says giving me a stern look.

"It wasn't my choice, my Mom made me." I say and lead her to my seat and the seat that I saved for her.

"Sweet seats!" Emily says. We're sitting front and center. I needed to make sure that I could get to the stage for the duet.

Emily and I chat about the unfairness of having Derek as a bossy older brother while we wait for the start of the show. D-Rock is on last so I wait through all of the other performances in a jittery mood.

"Relax Case." Emily says to me during intermission. "You're acting as if you're going to be going on stage yourself." She says with a laugh. I almost chock on my cookie, I think for a split second that she's hinting that she knows more, but she's turned around to buy a drink, unaware of the turmoil raging inside of my head.

* * *

"And last of the night, please give it up for D-Rock!" The announcer says as the crowd cheers and screams.

"You would think they were a famous band or something." I say under my breath to Emily. She laughs and shakes her head at me.

"You're only bitter because it's Derek up their. If he wasn't you're brother, he would be nicer to you and I bet you would have had you're Derek Venturi phase already or would be going through it now."

_You have no idea Em, really. It's not a phase, I can tell you for sure. But what ever you call it, I'm loving every second of it._ All thoughts in my mind stop and flee from my memory as Derek, Sam, and Ralph take the stage.

The screaming of the fan girls is deafening and it takes all my will not to cover my ears and give them all the finger. _Derek is mine._ I feel calm when our eyes lock, however, and he gives me the trademark Derek Venturi smirk. The cheers only get louder and I can feel myself smile in spite of myself. I see Emily give me an odd look from the corner of my eye, but I just ignore it. The crowd dies down when Derek grips the mic to talk.

"This first song is called Without You (With Me) and I want to dedicate it to someone very special. You all know her, but you don't know her the way I do. She's my everything and I wrote this song just for her. I bet you're wondering who she is, huh?" Derek asks while smirking to the crowd. The audience shouts back, fulling playing into his game. "Well, you'll just have to wait until the end of the song then!"

Derek steps back from the microphone and turns first to the left and then to right to make sure both Sam and Ralph are ready. He then turns back around and starts tapping his foot to a slow beat. Ralph and Sam start, setting a steady bass tune. After two measures, Derek joins in with a slow ballad.

"When the clouds were grey / And every thing wasn't okay / I just needed someone to / Help me inside / And I guess you heard my prayer / Because then you found me here / And you said / You'd never leave me again"

The room is hush as Derek's sweet voice is projected through the room. The passion in every word he sings shakes me to the core. The auditorium is silent except for D-Rock, playing a song so very unlike other's they've played at school gigs in the past.

"And I was at a loss for words / I never knew someone like you / Even existed in this world / And I just wanted to say"

His voice starts to pick up in volume and speed as he leads into the chorus. I can hear very disappointed sighs coming from girls all over the auditorium. A feral smirk crosses my lips. I can again see Emily give me that funny look. By this point, if she doesn't understand she will in mere minutes. But my mind can't be troubled by Emily right now, I'm too busy listening to the song, my song.

"I'm glad that you're here for me / I can't describe how I feel inside / I can't seem to find the words / To get you to see / I'd never be here, without you with me"

I think I'm going to cry, Derek means the world to me and I feel like all of the world is looking into _our_ privet moment.

"I never knew why / Everyone ran when I cried / I guess they never knew / What I was looking for / But then you came to me / And said / "I'll always be / Here for you / No matter what you do."

"I'm glad that you're here for me / I can't describe how I feel inside / I can't seem to find the words / To get you to see / I'd never be here, without you with me"

By the end of the song everyone is on their feet cheering. Even I am up and screaming my head off, image be damed. I can see the warm smile that Derek gives me, even if it is short, before he smirks into the crowd. When they quiet down enough for him to talk, he grabs the mic off of the stand. Sam slips off stage to grab the second mic.

"So you want to know who that was for?" Derek asks and the audience screams and yells. Emily's eyes are on me once more. I think she's figured it out. "Well I'm not going to tell you." Derek says in a teasing voice as everyone boos. "I'm gonna show you. If my lovely, pretty lady would please join me on the stage for a duet."

And then I freeze up, am I really ready for this. Our eyes look and he gives me a small nod.

"Go on Case, you two were meant to be." I hear Emily say as she nudges me.

"Huh?" Is all I can manage. I look to my best friend and see her big smile. There is a small amount of shock behind her eyes, but mostly it's happiness and maybe even a bit of pride.

"Go on." She nudges me again. This time I stand and walk to the stage with confidence that could only exist because I know Derek is up there, waiting for me. The nervous buzz in my ears is blocking out most all sound, but I can hear the gasps from around the room.

When I reach the stage, Sam places the mic and it's stand in front of me, giving me a reassuring smile. Derek pulls me into his arms giving me a full hug and a kiss on the forehead. "We're going to be great." He says, far enough from the mic so no one else can hear. All I can muster is a nod. I know we will, I just need to go and do it, not think about it. That's what makes me chicken out.

"This duet is entitled Every Day." Derek says into the mic while still giving me a one armed hug. I take my mic in my hand and give him a smile.

_I can't hear anythin__g_ is the first thing that occurs to me, the shock hasn't left me yet. I know I'm hitting every note and I know that I'm saying the right words, but for some reason, my mind is blank. I feel Derek's arm's leave me and I turn to look at him and our eyes meet. We have one moment suspended in time to stare into each other's eyes until we dive into the chorus.

(**Both,**_Casey,_Derek)

**"And I just want to thank you."**

"For everything you've given me."

_"For always letting me be."_

**"Who I am / And I just want to thank you."**

"For all of the times."

_"You were by my side."_

**"And for never guiding me astray / Every day."**

The crowd is cheering now and I can feel the adrenaline rush through my body. I'm loving every minute of this. Derek has a bit of a guitar solo and then we dive into the second verse.

"You've always been here for me / I never noticed, but now I see / That it's you whose helped me through."

_"I guess I never understood / That you gave me all you could / To make everything in my life okay."_

_"I'll always protect you / I swear it's true."_

"I'll be by your side / Through the night."

"**And every day."**

**"And I just want to thank you."**

"For everything you've given me."

_"For always letting me be."_

**"Who I am / And I just want to thank you."**

"For all of the times."

_"You were by my side."_

**"And for never guiding me astray / Every day."**

We end with a big finish and everyone is cheering and screaming our names. I didn't think it would have turned out this well. If I had known, I wouldn't have gotten so worried, I might have even told Ralph and Sam so we could surprise the school together. But then again, I'm not sure I would ever change this.

"I love you." I whisper to Derek who takes me and kisses me right on the lips in front of the whole audience.

"I love you, too." Derek whispers back. The whole world falls away, all there is is Derek and I. Us. Forever.

"Forever?" I ask giving him a cute smile.

"Forever."

**The End**

* * *

A/N: The tune for the first and second songs aren't complete yet, so the description of them might not be all that accurate. Eventually, I hope to get the songs complete and make music videos for them and upload those on You Tube. Check on my profile for updates on that. This chapter was a lot of fun to write. The original first song was written by me for my younger cousin. It's supposed to be sung by a girl. The second song is written as a duet for my boyfriend and I. So what did you guys think? Leave reviews for me to jump for joy over. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! Shae


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